


i could even learn how to love like you

by leifstroganoff



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, i mean not explicitly but im p sure its gonna diverge significantly from canon lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23747341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leifstroganoff/pseuds/leifstroganoff
Summary: “So?” Tobin’s eyes are still boring into Leif’s face, no matter how hard Leif is trying to avoid eye contact. After another beat of silence, Tobin’s face lights up with recognition. “So you want me to pretend to be your plus-one to make your parents happy?”Leif looks so apologetic that Tobin almost agrees without thought, the only thought coursing through his brain being the urge to make him look less hurt and nervous.
Relationships: Tobin Batra/Leif Donnelly
Comments: 40
Kudos: 108





	1. talking like i got nothin' to lose

**Author's Note:**

> so i've not written anything more than a one shot in a very long time so this might not be the best story ever but i like these characters a lot so we'll see how this goes !! i think the only thing in my interpretation of them right now that doesn't come directly from canon is that they're roommates but i'm sure that list will grow as i keep writing this - hope y'all like it!

Tobin is absolutely one to brag and he feels _pretty_ baller about his new streak of - what should he call it? Actually getting work done? Yeah, sure that sounds right, whatever - the point is it’s _baller._ He’s focusing pretty hard on the section of code in front of him, trying to fix a bug - because there’s always a bug - when a very anxious looking Leif sidles up to his desk in what Leif probably thinks is a casual manner. 

“Hey,” Tobin acknowledges the greeting by slipping his headphones down around his neck. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Brown eyes meet blue ones expectedly, but Leif doesn’t say anything, he just wrings his hands and looks down. _Okay._ After another second of awkward silence he looks up and says, “Um, somewhere else? Just… not out in the open.” 

If he wasn’t already super suspicious of his friend’s unusually nervous behavior, he’s _definitely_ suspicious when he realizes that they’re walking into the bathroom and Leif is checking under the stalls for feet. Finally, Leif turns to him and takes a deep breath.

“I need to ask you for a huge favor.” Leif looks so nervous that Tobin almost feels bad for him.

“Dude, do you want a brojob? Because I’m down but you _know_ we have to say no homo first.” Not quite bad enough to not say the first thing that comes to his mind, though.

“What? No.” Leif’s face goes through a journey that Tobin wouldn’t really like to acknowledge - disgust, surprise, _genuine thought?_ , before shaking his head and saying a much quieter ‘no’. “I need…” By all the pausing and stopping, Tobin would think he was about to ask him to give up his first born or throw his brand new phone in the toilet. “Okay, you’re my best friend. Long time. And I never wanna make you uncomfortable, but… I’m just gonna say it - I told my parents I wasn’t straight last year, they assumed I was telling them because I had a boyfriend, they were surprisingly accepting and actually seemed _proud_ of me, so I didn’t deny it, and now they think I have a boyfriend that I’ve had for upwards of a year, and now my brother’s wedding is next month, and they expect me to have a plus-one and I do _not_ have a plus-one, so....”

Well, that’s a lot to unpack in one breath. At least Leif’s taking a pause and is actually _breathing_ now.

“So?” Tobin’s eyes are still boring into Leif’s face, no matter how hard Leif is trying to avoid eye contact. After another beat of silence, Tobin’s face lights up with recognition. “ _So_ you want me to pretend to be your plus-one to make your parents happy?”

Leif looks so apologetic that Tobin almost agrees without thought, the only thought coursing through his brain being the urge to make him look less hurt and nervous.

“Listen, I get it if you’re gonna say no, and I can figure something out or, god forbid, _just tell them the truth_ , but I -” Another awkward pause as Leif appears to try to gather his thoughts with a deep breath. “You know me better than probably anyone and I think if I’m gonna pull this off, you’re the right person to ask?”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I said okay.” His shoulders shrug casually. “What do I have to do? Hold your hand, kiss your cheek? Profess my undying love for you in the middle of your brother’s reception and steal some serious wedding thunder? I’m game.”

“I honestly, um,” A laugh tumbles out of Leif’s lips and Tobin watches the tension that’s been squeezing the life out of him drain as he brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “I didn’t think you’d say yes. I didn’t think I’d get this far, I don’t - I don’t really have a plan.” 

“It’s next month?” 

“Um, yeah. Next month. The 18th.” Leif nods now, letting another deep breath course through his lungs as the previous panic subsides. 

“Okay, tight, we can craft a beautiful narrative about how we fell in love by then. Don’t sweat it, dude.” He punctuates his sentence with a playful punch to a cardigan-clad arm.

“I was actually thinking maybe we could just stick closer to the truth? We were friends, roommates, we realized we liked each other? It’s, I don’t know, more realistic.” If Tobin notices the earnestness in Leif’s eyes, he certainly doesn’t acknowledge it, because that would make this weird and this is _not_ weird, right? 

“The truth?”

“I mean, close to it. We _are_ friends. We _are_ roommates. We don’t need a story, they’ll believe it. I think if we, or really, if _I_ overthink this, or lie a lot, I’m just gonna end up fighting with my family in the end and that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid, so if you’re really willing to help me with this... We keep it simple?” 

“Like I said, I’m game.” A reassuring smile meets shining blue eyes as they stand in an agreed silence for what couldn’t be more than a couple seconds. “But if we don’t leave the bathroom soon, people are definitely gonna think we're taking like a _massive_ shit together, and that's just weird on another level.”

“Oh, god. Let's go.” He shakes his head and laughs again, heading to push open the door. He stops just before he opens the door, though, and turns to face Tobin who almost smacks into him. “Thank you, though. Seriously. Maybe it'll even be fun?”


	2. parallel minds, killing time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter feels,,,, short i think but we're getting places and they're disasters so they gotta be confused and gay for a minute

So, maybe a bar wasn’t the best place to plan this whole shebang out. Well, now that he’s taken more than a second to think about it, it _definitely_ wasn’t the best place because after a solid two minutes of actually talking, he’s placed his head on the table with a sigh and a very dramatic “I can’t do this, I’m an idiot, this’ll never work”.

“Bro, take a deep breath.” Tobin makes a move to place his hand on Leif’s back before hesitating and ultimately dropping it onto the booth next to him. “I’m gonna go grab us some drinks, take a second to chill, clear your brain, whatever it is you… do to calm down, I don’t know, I didn’t plan this sentence this far out so I’m gonna walk away now.” 

As Tobin heads towards the bar, Leif brings his head up and rests it in his hands, staring at the place where Tobin had been sitting seconds prior. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Why did he think he could do this? Why did he think his family would buy that he’s hopelessly in love with the human equivalent of “no homo”? Sure, they have great chemistry, they get along way past well enough to sell it, and a teensy bit of Leif thinks he could throw in a longing look that might not be entirely fake, but none of that matters if his family doesn’t also _like_ Tobin and if Tobin can’t _look_ like he likes him. 

“Can we just go home?” Leif’s eyes still haven’t left the spot where Tobin has sat down again with the drinks. “I mean I’ll - we can drink the drinks or I’ll - I’ll pay for the drinks, I don’t know, I’d just really like to not be here with the lights and the sound and the people and did I mention the sound?” 

Tobin looks at him with what he can only deduce is pity for a second before smiling and holding up a finger in a “one second” gesture. Before Leif can process what’s happening he’s taken the drink in front of him and started chugging and it takes quite a bit of effort on Leif’s part not to let out a laugh at the fact that he’s clearly struggling to drink it - he figures it won’t hurt to let a small smile show, though. 

“You’re an idiot.” Maybe the insult would cut more if the small smile hadn’t turned into a pretty large grin as Tobin set the empty glass back on the table. 

“You gonna drink that?”

“If I say no, are you gonna chug it, too?” 

Leif can’t resist another small smile when Tobin stays silent and looks at his hands in his lap. 

“I’m gonna take that as a yes,” Leif grabs the drink from in front of him. “So, I’m gonna drink as much of this as I can because I swear to god, I’m not gonna stop for you to throw up on the way back.”

“Not fair, it’s two glasses of beer! I can hold two glasses of beer, dude.” 

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but past events prove that, uh - your pants are on fire right now. Because you’re a liar.” He finishes the sentence by bringing the glass up to his lips and drinking as much of it as he can in one large chug - which, to be fair, is not a lot. “It’s also _bad_ beer. That tastes like my bath water.” 

“Well, I don’t think you’re supposed to be drinking your bath water, Leif, so the first step to make that taste better is probably to stop doing that.” 

“Shut up.”

A moment of silence lingers over them, grateful for the easy rapport that made weird things like this less awkward, even if only for a moment. “Seriously, can we talk about this at home?”

“Yeah, let’s get outta here.”

The walk back to their apartment isn’t entirely awkward, but the whole issue of “making sure Leif’s family would be able to buy that they’ve been dating for over a year” is hanging in the air and neither of them are mentioning it. They’re talking about work, about the game Simon recommended they play, about pretty much anything except the fact that a week ago Leif looked his best friend in the face and asked if he would pretend to be his boyfriend so that his parents might think he’s doing _something_ right. 

Once they make it back to their apartment, Tobin drapes himself on one end of the couch, letting the armrest behind him prop his torso up. 

“I think we need a baller plan. Like, spreadsheet level shit, y’know?”

_We’re just getting right to it, then_.

“I think - Well, I agree, actually.” Leif sits down in a much more graceful fashion on the other end of the couch, sitting criss-cross facing Tobin. “I think our friendship is a great place to start. We don’t need to convince them of how we met, they know how we met. Most of them already know _you_ , so that’s a plus, I just don’t know if they’ll believe that I lo -” He cuts himself off with a cough, readjusting so his knees are drawn up to his chest and he’s leaning against the armrest. “That I like you _like that_ , y’know?”

“What? You’re worried your family thinks you’re too good for me?”

“No, I didn’t say-” 

“You’d be lucky to have me! I’m a catch and a half! I’m not just a dime a dozen dude, Leif Donnelly.”

“Okay, okay,” Leif laughs again - he’s always grateful that no matter what, Tobin can at least provide a laugh that makes his heart flutter. “We can all agree that you’re _a catch_ , but that doesn’t mean my family’s gonna feel the same. They’re… Well, they’re critical. In the worst way. They’re either gonna tear you apart or love you more than they already did and god, I wish I could predict which one it’s gonna be.”

Tobin grimaces, sitting up straighter on the couch. “So… they already love me?”

“Some of them. Don’t let it go to your ego, you’re the only friend I’ve had this long, they kind of have to like you at least a little bit.”

“Alright, I know I just said we need a baller plan, but… why _don’t_ we just wing it?”

“Tobes, you’ve seen me ‘wing it’. I don’t ‘wing it’, I try to ‘wing it’ and my wings get caught on barbed wire.”

“Fair enough. But hear me out, dude. If our plan,” He uses his fingers in air quotations around the word plan. “Is to pretty much act like we normally do, plus some couple-y, affectionate stuff, then why are we stressing so much about planning it out? You said it yourself, your family _knows_ me, they apparently love me, do you really think us ‘dating’ is gonna change that?” 

“In so many words,” Leif pauses, taking his hand and rubbing it against the back of his neck. “Yes. It’s not - It’s not about you as a person, I’ve seen it happen. They _hate_ Alex’s fiancée now that they’ve seen her as a girlfriend and they’ve loved her since they met in college.”

“Oh, shit.” 

Silence falls over them as they contemplate what to do. Leif looks at his hands folded over in his lap, doubt falling over him for what is far from the first time that day. He keeps telling himself they can pull this off, but everytime he dares to think about _why_ exactly he's so confident about that, his brain shuts him out and tells him that that's a problem for another day, which loops him right back around to _'I can't do this, I'm an idiot, this'll never work'._

“Hey,” His voice is quiet now in a way Tobin doesn’t often hear it, putting him immediately on edge. “I really do appreciate this, dude. You don’t… You don’t have to do it if it’s… if it’s weird or you just don’t wanna because it’s gonna be… I think there’s a pretty high probability that it’s gonna be messy and I know my family isn’t easy to impress and in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “easy” regarding anything about my family at all, and -” 

“Dude.” Tobin moves into the middle of the couch, putting a hand on Leif’s shoulder, forcing him to stop for a breath. “I don’t care what your family thinks about me. I’m doing this to help you, and I want them to like me, sure, but it’s because I want this to succeed for _you_.”

“That’s… actually kind of nice to hear, thanks.” 

“I’m in this for the long con, bro. I’m gonna charm the freaking pants off your parents. And your siblings. And maybe some distant cousins and uncles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think next chapter's gonna be the actual wedding because i don't wanna drag this out too long, hopefully it won't be as long between chapters this time!!


	3. synchronized with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i said this chapter would prob be the wedding but i'm what the kids call a big fat liar and i thought maybe we should actually meet his family first lmao

When it actually comes time for the wedding, Leif decides that he hates winging it. He hates not having a concrete plan, he hates the anxious pit in his stomach, he hates the fear that guides his every move, he hates the airport worker that tells them to enjoy their flight (because seriously, what is there to enjoy? Hurling through the sky in a metal bin that he knows could actually kill him, only to arrive at a destination that _somehow_ gives him more anxiety?), and he hates the barista that makes them their shitty overpriced airport coffee, which he hates the flavor of, too. Okay, maybe he’s just looking for things to hate right now. 

Tobin, on the other hand, is a free flyer. Leif wishes with everything in his stupid, hateful chest right now that he could not care the way that Tobin does as he sips at a mocha that cannot taste as good as the $8 price tag implies. And, really, does anybody expect it to taste good? It’s the same goddamn Joe Mugg’s that you can find in any Books-A-Million, what difference does it make if you drink it before travelling across the country that can justify the extra four dollars? Okay, now he’s _definitely_ just looking for things to hate, and he should stop drinking the coffee because either the caffeine is making his leg shake or it’s the mortifying anxiety settling in his stomach as he prepares for the longest weekend of his life; either way, he doesn’t really appreciate the fact that his heartbeat won’t slow down or the fog clouding his brain from actual, legitimate thoughts that aren’t about the price of their shitty coffee.

“Dude, are you good?” Leif’s head whips towards Tobin, fully aware that that was _not_ something that should’ve made him jump like that. “I can’t hear myself think over the sound of you thinking.”

“I, uh,” The truth, he knows, is that he’s _not_ good. He is so far from good, and he’s pretty sure Tobin knows that. Still, even in his sour mood, he can appreciate the genuine concern flowing from his best friend. “I’m fine. Just don’t like flying.” 

“Alright.” He can tell from how Tobin draws the word out that he definitely doesn’t believe him, but he can’t bring himself to care with the nerves flying around in his stomach. He’s just ready for this to be over.

The flight isn’t nearly as bad as he expects it to be. He falls asleep before they take off and doesn’t wake up until they touch down in New York, grateful for once for his terrible sleep schedule providing him with the exhaustion to not have to think or experience any of the flight itself. 

It’s in the cab on the way to his brother’s _mansion_ (and he tries not to be bitter that his brother lives in a mansion just north of New York City at 24 and he lives in a shitty apartment in San Francisco, but he doesn’t entirely succeed) that he finally puts a voice to the thing that’s been seizing around his heart since they’d really moved forward with this stupid plan. 

“I think I’m really scared, Tobes.” 

“Hm?” Tobin’s gaze raises from where he’s been playing a game on his phone, looking over to see Leif’s eyes relentlessly boring into the cab driver’s headrest, hands twisted tightly together in his lap.

“I, uh,” He tries to take a breath, but it catches in his throat, causing him to put more pressure on his hands where they’re twisted together, ignoring the pain that causes his wrists. “What if they see through this immediately? Or - or what if I misread their acceptance last year and they hate me for liking dudes and it’s all an act, because what isn’t an act with them? And isn’t this, like, ten times sadder than just telling them the truth anyways? To make up a ruse like this on the off chance that they’ll have, like, a literal ounce of pride in me?” 

And, he thinks, _there lies the root of it all_. Is this worth it if the end result is more of his parent’s disappointment than he’d started with? 

“Well, uh....” He can tell that Tobin doesn’t know what to say. Why would he? This is the weirdest situation they’ve ever put each other in. And they’ve put each other in some _weird_ situations (they still don’t talk about Halloween ‘05). “Real talk, I don’t think it’s sad at all?”

Well, that surprises him.

“ _How_ is this not the saddest thing you’ve ever been a part of, dude?”

“I mean, yeah, it feels a little over the top, but I was pretty willing to ignore that because honestly, you can just be dramatic sometimes.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Seriously, bro, I don’t think it’s that sad. You…” Tobin twists in his seat so he’s facing his friend. “You care about what they think about you. That’s all this says. You _care_ so much, dude, and I admire that. That’s why I’m here, in New York, pretending to be your boyfriend. I don’t think it’s a crime to want your parents to be proud of you. I mean, if I could…” Tobin trails off, but Leif understands. That’s something he’s always been grateful for with Tobin; sometimes they could just leave things unsaid. 

“Okay.” He’s not broken his staring contest with the headrest, but his hands have relaxed on his lap, only loosely twisted together now. “Um, thanks. For saying that. I think you know I’m not gonna stop freaking out, but that did, uh… that helped a lot.” 

Arriving at his brother’s mansion doesn’t do anything to quell the anxious butterflies battling in his stomach, but he didn’t really expect it to. His housekeeper lets them in through the front door and shows them the room they’re gonna be staying in, informing them that dinner will be ready at 6 o’clock, promptly, and they really shouldn’t be late, because Alex’s fiancée is a stickler for a schedule. 

They waste time talking about a D&D game they’ve been trying to start with some friends, and Leif suspects that Tobin brought it up to distract him from soon having to see and interact with his family. Leif notices, and suspects Tobin does, too, that the room that they’re staying in only has one bed and maybe they should’ve expected that since his family fully believes that they’re dating, but they both seem to decide that’s a problem for later. 

At 5:45, they decide that they should go ahead downstairs, because Leif is not even gonna risk being late and starting the weekend off with a bad impression. So, they walk into the dining room to see most of his family already sitting around the table, including Ellie, who he only recognizes from pictures sent over the years and recent Christmas cards. 

“Oh, Leif, you’re here!” For nearly the first time since leaving the airport, Leif lets a real smile spread across his face as his older sister pushes her chair out and barrels towards him, encasing him in a tight hug. “It’s been too long, Lucky.”

She pulls away from the hug, looking to her left sharply as she notices Tobin standing next to him. It takes her less than a second to quickly pull him into a hug, too, before letting him go and hitting Leif on the shoulder. “You didn’t tell us your plus-one was my second-favorite person in the world! I want details on how this,” She gestures between the two, standing shoulder to shoulder, both of them unwittingly letting their cheeks flush red. “Developed. And why you didn’t _tell me._ ” 

“It’s good to see you, too, Lily.” Leif says with a small laugh, grateful that it was her to do the first ‘interrogating’. It isn’t that she’s his favorite sibling, but it is that he likes her and the way she treats him far more than anybody else in his family.

“What? There were no rushing hugs in store for the rest of us, Lil?” He looks down the table to see his other younger brother, Jude, sitting next to his wife with a smug smile resting on his face. 

“Well, the rest of you have talked to me in the past year, maybe develop a habit of dropping off the face of communication’s existence like Leif does and you’ll get a running hug.”

Leif can’t help but feel a guilty pang at that, mostly because she has a point. Just as he’s about to open his mouth for a half-formed apology, Tobin’s hand rests on his shoulder and guides him towards one of four empty seats (he assumes the other ones, at the head of the table, are for his parents).

“I don’t know about you, babe, but I am _starved_.” Leif tries not to acknowledge the brief flip of his stomach when Tobin called him ‘babe’, but he fails when Tobin’s hand trails down from his shoulder to hold his hand on the armrest. This is why he needs a plan, because when he wings it, his family can see the panic on his face as Tobin rubs circles against his thumb and his skin feels like it’s exploding. He’s never been more grateful to see his parents when they enter the dining room and the attention is immediately taken away from himself and Tobin. 

“Oh, it’s so good to see all of you in the same room again, all my babies,” His mom stops on her way to her seat next to Leif to squeeze his shoulders uncomfortably; if she feels him tense up immediately, she certainly doesn’t acknowledge it. “I’ve never been happier than to see all of your shining faces. And _Tobin_ ,” She smiles down at him, still not having taken her seat, smile seeming far too acidic for Leif’s liking - it’s been a long time since he’s seen a really genuine smile from his Mom, but he knows that this isn’t one. “You don’t even know how _surprised_ we were when Leif said _you_ were his plus-one, and his, uh-” Her smile softens, and, for that at least, he can be grateful. “His boyfriend.”

“You don’t have to look so uncomfortable, Leif.” Jude’s voice pipes up from the other side of the table. 

“I’m not -” 

“We’re very progressive people, Leif-y.” Alex’s fiancée speaks up for the first time and Leif tries very hard not to make a face at the cutesy way she says his name. “We wouldn’t have invited you if we had a problem with your… lifestyle.” 

Leif genuinely thinks he would’ve thrown up by now if Tobin’s thumb wasn’t still tracing small circles on the back of his hand. He throws on a fake smile that makes his cheeks hurt and mumbles a small ‘of course’, grateful once again for Lily when she quickly changes the subject to that of the wedding and how excited Alex and Ellie must be. 

“Hey,” Tobin’s voice is low enough as he leans his head over to rest on his shoulder that he thinks only the two of them can hear it. “Deep breaths, it’s chill.” And his hand is still intertwined with Leif’s, subtly rubbing the skin where his thumb meets Leif’s skin and he thinks it should be weird, it should make him uncomfortable, but it feels so natural and he feels tears prickling in his eyes as he thinks about how that makes him feel. This is absolutely _not_ the time to have a crisis about exactly how platonic his endless love for his best friend is, especially because his heart won’t slow down and he feels sweat pooling around his eyebrows and lower back, and he suddenly can’t make himself take in a full breath, no matter how much he didn’t wanna make a scene right now.

“Hey, uh, where’s the bathroom?” Leif unceremoniously interrupts the conversation, catching Alex’s attention.

“Oh, it’s right next to the stairs you came down on.”

“Thanks.” He doesn’t wait for anybody else to say anything, he just lets go of Tobin’s hand and pushes his chair out, almost mechanically making his way towards the bathroom. 

He’s gone for five minutes and they’ve brought out the first course salads. And then five turns into ten. And then somebody in his family finally asks ‘what’s taking him so long?’, giving Tobin an excuse to announce his intentions to go check on him and power walk to the bathroom, knocking on the door lightly, to no response. “Hey, dude, it’s me.” After another knock with no response, he tries the doorknob to find it’s unlocked and he opens the door slowly. What he sees is Leif sitting silently on the edge of the bathtub, hands resting over his mouth, effectively propping his head up. “Dude, you practically ran out of there and I know it doesn’t actually take you more than 8 minutes to pee _or_ take a dump. What’s up?” 

Leif doesn’t respond, but he does break the staring contest he’s apparently been having with the bathroom cabinet to raise his head and look at Tobin, mouth flopping open with what might’ve been a response, but it never makes it past his throat, eyes quickly returning to the knob of the cabinet. 

“Okay, uh, should I start guessing? Cause I’ve got some,” Tobin closes the door quietly behind him, moving to sit on the edge of the tub next to Leif. “Actually, scratch that. It could be literally anything that your family just said. I thought _I_ didn’t have any tact.” 

Tobin smiles when that makes Leif laugh, relieving a little bit of the tension that was filling the room. 

“I guess, uh,” Leif stops again, his voice hoarse, and Tobin notes that that usually means he’s been crying at least a little bit, which makes him note that Leif’s eyes are also red around the rims. So, maybe there would be a lot more to this weekend than some simple acting and schmoozing his family. For the first time, Tobin notes that Leif’s issues with his family might run a little bit deeper than just seeking pride. “I don’t know. I got in there and it felt like… It felt like I was still in high school and everything they said sounded condescending and I just, um, the walls felt like they were closing in and if I didn’t get out of there I was gonna -”

He stops talking when Tobin places his hand on his knee and starts absentmindedly rubbing. He doesn’t know why it makes his heart stop. Except that he does; it’s because there’s nobody watching right now. He could ignore the handholding, and the shoulder touches, and the leaning into him in the dining room, because that was an act for his family, but this is just the two of them. It’s just a thoughtless touch that’s purely _Tobin_ and he thinks his skin beneath his chinos might just start to burn up from the contact. 

“You were gonna?”

“I don’t know. Throw up, combust, start crying.” 

He’s staring at the knob again, forcing himself to take in deep breaths. The last thing he expects is for Tobin to take his hand again, which is exactly what he does. “Listen, hey.” His thumb is rubbing against his skin again, and holy shit, he’s gonna short circuit. “If we stay in here, they’re probably gonna think we’re fucking and I don’t really think that’s a good image for you right now.” At least he can still make him laugh. “No matter what you’re feeling, I’m in there with you, bud. If you need to, squeeze my hand as tight as you can, clutch my leg, I don’t - I don’t care, but we’re gonna make it through this dinner, and then we’re gonna make it through this wedding. We gucci?” 

“Yeah,” Leif laughs, rolling his eyes. “We gucci.”

So, they do go back into the dining room, and Tobin makes charming conversation, and Leif only feels like screaming two more times. And when he does, he squeezes Tobin’s hand beneath the table and Tobin does everything he can to draw attention away from Leif. And when they go back to their room at the end of the night, after dinner and dessert and what he’s convinced was a rigged game of charades, Leif actually feels relieved, if also exhausted. They both change into pajamas, collapsing onto the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. They don’t even have the energy to argue about whether or not they should share the bed, simply falling asleep in a companionable silence. If Leif rolls over and drapes his arm over Tobin in his sleep, neither of them really wanna talk about it when they wake up the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments make my skin clear and may or may not provide inspiration for me to keep writing,,, eyes emoji


	4. accidentally self-imposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i've decided this is the penultimate chapter and then the next one will tie everything up hopefully in a nice little bow  
> i'm not super confident in this chapter but i got a lot of inspo tonight and didnt wanna lose it so i hope its good!

Of all the things to knock him off his feet this weekend, Leif really wasn’t expecting it to be Tobin in his Sunday best. It definitely should’ve already occurred to him that inviting him to a _wedding_ they would inevitably be dressed up. He guesses he didn’t really think about it because Leif himself is usually fairly well dressed anyways, but seeing Tobin step out of the bathroom adjoined to their room having traded in his hoodie for a violet button up that clings to his shoulders and biceps in just the right way and equally well-fit slacks makes him feel even more out of his wheelhouse than he already knows he is.

“Wow,” Tobin’s head turns from where he’s buttoning the sleeves of his shirt, eyebrows raised in attention. “You, uh,” He swallows the lump in his throat, ignoring the slight heat that’s travelled to his face (and really, what the hell is that about?). “You clean up nice. Dude.”

“Uh, thanks?” Tobin smiles, seeming to chalk Leif’s weirdness up to his continued anxieties about the wedding itself. “ _Dude_.”

Leif stares for another second before breaking his gaze to glance at the clock. 

“Shit, we’re probably gonna be late.” He grabs his tie off the bed, tying it in a sloppy half-windsor, hands moving faster than his brain can follow.

“Bro, chill. If we leave _right now,_ we’ll still be thirty minutes early. Take a deep breath.” Tobin approaches him, grabbing the tie at the knot and untying it. He looks up, making silent eye contact, asking ‘is this cool?’ with a raise of his eyebrows. Leif nods, letting out the breath he’d been holding in his lungs. If his face flushed again when Tobin’s hands had brushed his own in the process of getting to the knot, neither of them acknowledge it. Tobin ties the knot in a neater manner than Leif had, patting him softly on the chest when he finishes. “There. Put together and handsome as ever.”

They leave then, anyways, deciding that early is better than late (they’re both ready anyways and Tobin figures it won’t _hurt_ Leif’s anxiety to be early). The wedding goes off without a hitch, vows are said, brides are kissed, Leif is only a little bitter that Alex asked Jude and his wife’s brother to be groomsmen but not him, and he only feels like fainting once. All in all, it could’ve gone much, much worse.

It’s about halfway through the reception when things start to get dicey. The cake has been cut, wedding party speeches have been given, and the bar has been open for quite some time now. Leif is perfectly happy to sit at their table with Lily and let the rest of the evening play out peacefully. Their parents are the only other people at the table and they’ve spent most of the night on the dance floor. He couldn’t ask for an easier end to the weekend. 

Apparently that's too much to ask, though, and his hopes are swiftly thrown through the stain glass windows that line the outer wall of the venue (‘and that’s why we chose this venue, we really wanted to feel close to the church, without having the reception _at_ the church, of course’ and _ugh,_ he wishes he could permanently tune his brother’s peppy now-wife out of his head) when Tobin sits back down with the drinks he’d been sent to fetch.

“We should dance.”

“Hm?”

“You, me, a romantic dance. It’s a _wedding_ , Leif, we should dance.” 

“I don’t really, uh - I’m not good at - _Tobes_ .” Leif’s eyes are pleading ‘drop it’ and Tobin’s eyes are forcing back _‘the act’_ , which is punctuated by Lily chiming in.

“C’mon, dance with the poor dude. The only thing it’ll hurt is his feet when you step on them.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Leif looks like he’d rather be doing anything else, but he lets Tobin take him by the hand anyways, leading him off to the side of the dance floor.

Tobin notices several of his extended family members staring at them as they dance, but Leif’s eyes are hyper focused on the wall beyond Tobin’s head. It’s not that he’s freaking out (he’s done plenty of that this weekend already), it’s that he’s not freaking out and _that’s_ freaking him out. This entire weekend has been one long freakout (getting here, lying to his family, being condescended and facing passive aggression from his family, starting to think about what he’s now sure can only be actual, real feelings for his best friend) but now that he’s dancing with Tobin, all of those feelings have vacated. All he can focus on is the tingling of his skin where Tobin’s hand rests on his shoulder, fingers splayed out to just barely graze his neck and the way their other hands are intertwined; naturally, like it’s the easiest thing they’ve ever done. He thinks it should be uncomfortable; he’s sure his palms are sweaty and his fingers rest in an almost constant tremble, but now, intertwined with slightly shorter digits, his hand stills. He thinks being close to him like this shouldn’t come as naturally as it does, shouldn’t feel like he’s been holding Tobin for years; better yet, if it’s coming this naturally, how much of it is as _fake_ as he swears it is? Then again, maybe it _is_ uncomfortable for Tobin, maybe he’s just assuming the role he’s been assigned, dedication to the craft that Leif forced upon him in the first place. Maybe while Leif is having this revelation, Tobin wants nothing more than to drop his hand and step away and why shouldn’t he? _It’s an act, it’s nothing more than an act. Stop being an idiot and thinking like it’s not._

He’s so caught up in his own train of thought that he doesn’t notice Tobin making truly _uncomfortable_ eye contact with his uncle, quickly taking his judging glances as a challenge. By the time Leif’s head has returned from the clouds, Tobin has caught his eyes for a split second, leaning in to gently connect their lips. And _holy shit_ , every panicked thought that had previously been racing through his head vanishes. There are just no thoughts there now. Zero, zilch, nada. Leif, buddy, are you okay? 

Tobin is already pulling away when Leif’s brain has caught up to the rest of his body. 

“Bro, you might not wanna look so shocked when I kiss you if you want people to believe you’re in love with me.” Tobin’s head is over his shoulder now, lips brushing against his ear as he speaks in a hushed tone. “Leif?”

If he was a robot (and some of his coworkers might have some theories about that), he would be short-circuiting. Emergency shutdown. _System freaking failure._ He doesn’t know why he wasn’t prepared for that - it’s not at all far fetched that Tobin would think kissing was on the table if they were really trying to sell this thing, but considering what _might happen_ in a completely hypothetical sense and actually experiencing Tobin’s slightly chapped lips against his own were two completely different things. One of those things didn’t involve his stomach feeling like it’s entered a jousting match in which it’s opponent is _also his stomach_. 

And it’s now been far past a justifiable amount of time for a response and Tobin has pulled back to look at him with big, concerned, brown eyes, bringing his hand in from their dancing form to rest on his face, thumb tracing along his jawline and _that’s too much_. He officially can’t do this.

“I’m sorry, uh,” His voice falters, almost like he can’t get the words he’s trying to say to leave his chest. “I - I have to go. Anywhere else.” And with that, he bolts, practically running out of the room, quickly dismissing Lily’s hand as she tries to catch him on his way out, the soft ‘are you okay?’ dying on her tongue before she even gets a chance to ask it.

And Tobin is left, standing alone on the left side of the dance floor, completely dumbfounded. The room hasn’t gone quiet, the wedding festivities still taking up the majority of the room, but the family that was seated on this side of the hall is now staring at Tobin; some are disappointed, some are shocked, some are judging, one of them looks relieved and Tobin kind of wants to punch that one, but the only one he actually acknowledges is Lily, who walks up to him and drags him away from the floor.

“I’m not gonna ask what the hell you said because I know Leif can just be… _dramatic_ sometimes, but, uh, I will ask what the hell happened?”

“I don’t-” Tobin opens and closes his mouth a couple times, but the right words still won’t come to him. “I don’t _know_.”

“So… he just ran out, in a panic, with what I’m pretty sure were tears in his eyes, cause he felt great and was having the time of his life?”

“No? I-” Tobin is at a loss for words. What the hell is he supposed to do here, anyways? All he did was follow along with what Leif _asked him to do_ in the first place. Alright, _maybe_ he got a little carried away and spiteful and _maybe_ he wanted to piss off his family just a little bit so they’d stop staring at them like they were the fucking eight o’clock news. But his point stands and he really doesn’t understand why Leif freaked at this point of every freak-able point of this weekend. Somewhat dejected, he finally finds words, even if they’re not the ones he wants to say. “We were just dancing. _I_ thought we were vibing, then he ran out when I-” _Oh._ Okay, maybe Tobin should’ve predicted that a kiss out of nowhere would freak him out. He can usually read Leif like the back of his hand (though, he ponders, who _actually_ knows the back of their hand? Find another metaphor, bro.), but this time it’s like he slipped through his fingers, his drastic mood change left only to be a seemingly cryptic mystery to Tobin. “When I kissed him. _Shit._ ” 

“Tobe, you know you’re one of my favorite people on the planet and I’ve loved your stupid, stupid self since you met Leif?” Tobin realizes she’s waiting for him to answer, so he nods. “Okay, so you have to realize that it makes _absolutely no sense_ for him to run out because you kissed him when you’ve been together for a year, right?”

Well, she’s got him there. He thinks for a second of coming up with an excuse; ‘well, you know he’s uncomfortable with PDA, right’ or ‘he’s just uncomfortable in front of family, I guess’, but he really thinks she’s known both of them long enough to see through that shit.

“Uh - shit. Can we step out?” He’s already walking out of the door they’re next to before she can answer, though she does follow him into the lobby. “I’m about to drop some hot knowledge on you and I’d really appreciate it if you don’t repeat it. More for your brother’s sake than anything else.”

“Uh, okay?”

“We’re not dating.” Her eyes don’t leave his, but he can see the gears turning in her brain as she processes.

“You’re… not dating?” She shakes her head, disbelief evident in her features. “Then why are you _here_?”

“Well, uh, long story short, your parents _assumed_ , and you know what they say about assuming, that Leif was with someone when he came out to them and he didn’t correct them. Alex’s wedding invitations went out and he thought they’d expect him to bring his partner, so he asked me to fake it. _And now we’re here_ and I think kissing him like that was too far and now he’s probably pissed at me, so that’s great.”

“Oh my god, you’re both idiots.”

“What?”

“He could’ve just said they _broke up_ , it’s been a _year_ since he told them that, dumbass. Or that they couldn’t make it or literally anything besides pretending to be his boyfriend, because I don’t wanna alarm you, but Leif’s _not_ a good actor. Or liar, for that matter. I’d bet all the money in my wallet right now that he didn’t run out because you ‘took it too far’. You should see the way he looks at you when you’re not looking. I love my little brother with my entire heart, but I don’t think he could fake that if he tried.”

Of all the reactions Lily could’ve had to the news that they were faking it, he really wasn’t expecting this. He also doesn’t know what to do with this one - if she had been mad or relieved or even just hurt, he could deal with that, no problem. But this? This incredulous reaction with an extra side of ‘he’s probably not actually faking it’? He doesn’t know how to handle that _at all_. There’s no version of Tobin right now that knows how to feel. 

On one hand, he wants to run and comfort his friend and apologize before he does literally anything else. On the other, he wants to run far away and never acknowledge this horrifically awkward situation they’ve created. But as soon as he considers ditching, his mind forcefully reminds him that he’s not, nor does he _want_ to be, Tobin 1.0 anymore. Tobin 2.0 hears Zoey’s voice ringing in the back of his head; _“real friends have hard conversations. They owe it to each other”._ Shit, man, get out of his head! Can’t he be free anywhere? Regardless of how much he doesn’t wanna listen to his conscience, especially when it’s taking the form of a pesky redhead, he knows she’s right. 

“I guess I should go find him.” The sigh that Tobin lets out isn’t exasperated or annoyed; it’s just tired, more confused than anything else. 

“I think that’s a really good idea.” She gives him a small, reassuring smile, accompanied with an equally reassuring shoulder pat, before she nods towards the big glass doors that lead outside, where he can see a figure sitting on the steps, who he can only assume is Leif, curled in on himself. “Be gentle, I am still his older sister and I _will_ gut you like a fish if you hurt him.”

“Noted.” 

She heads back into the reception hall as Tobin heads towards the doors, opening one and stepping outside, the crisp, cool air hitting him immediately and causing a shiver to run down his spine.

“This seat taken?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so next chapter should wrap everything up and they'll,,,, Actually Talk About Things Like Real Human Adults Wow  
> hopefully i'll be able to write ch 5 relatively soon but comments and motivation would definitely help me get motivated to write so uhhh im not saying comments make me write better but im also not saying they dont eyes emoji


	5. i really think you like me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i,,, genuinely cant believe i finished this! i know i never would have if yall hadnt commented and supported so thank you so much and i hope you enjoy the last chapter!!

“I think I might be the worst friend ever.”

Well, that’s not technically an answer _or_ a sentiment that Tobin particularly wants to hear right now.

“I’m gonna take that as a no?” He sits down on the stair next to him, looking over at his best friend, whose eyes are trained straight ahead of him, staring into the distance. “I happen to think you’re a pretty good friend. If you weren’t, I don’t think I would’ve stuck around for seventeen years.”

“Thanks, Tobe, but, uh, placations aren’t really…” He swallows nervously, looking down at his hands and when he does, Tobin has a chance to see the tears welling in his eyes, creating a pit of nervous energy in Tobin’s own stomach. Real friends might have hard conversations but holy shit is there an emphasis on the _hard_ part of that because he would rather be anywhere except watching Leif fall apart in front of him right now. “I don’t want you to tell me I’m not. I am _well aware_ that I can be a stuck-up dick and I can overstep boundaries and I… I can be straight up manipulative. I don’t _like_ that, in fact it makes me feel like shit _a lot_ , but I know it’s true and you - you don’t have to sell me some version of myself that doesn’t exist.”

“What the hell are you talking about, dude?”

“I-I mean I talk you into doing this dumb thing with me, have like twenty full on meltdowns, and because you’re the perfect freaking friend apparently, you were there and you were sweet and you’ve always been the one person who _gets it_ and _gets me_ even when _I_ don’t get me, and then you kiss me like that because at least you’re dedicated to this stupid act and I make it weird because I-” He cuts himself off, the tears that have been welling up in his eyes finally spilling over with a blink of his eyes, jaw clenched tight enough to hurt. 

“Because you…” Tobin’s pretty sure he knows what he’s going to say; despite the persona he displays, Tobin’s not an idiot and he would have to be pretty dumb to miss the signs now, especially after Lily pointed pretty clearly towards them back in the lobby. But he wants to hear him say it, if not only to give himself time to consider how in the world he wants to respond.

“Because I started to wish it was real?” He sounds uncertain, voice wavering, blue eyes still not willing to meet Tobin’s. “Because… I think maybe I’ve wanted stuff like this since freakin’ high school when you would make fun of the popular kids to make me feel better or when you played Halo with me for twenty-four straight hours because I was sad that _Jenna Lane_ was too cool to pay me a speck of attention. I’m not - I don’t want…” His face is screwed up now, the tears that have shed dry on his skin, though more are welling up in his eyes every second. 

“I don’t want to feel this way. I’ve _never_ wanted to feel this way. Not in high school, not when you would visit me in college, not when you make those dumb jokes that _shouldn’t_ make me laugh at work, but they do. I’m not - I don’t wanna be this person.” 

_That_ right there breaks Tobin’s heart. He doesn’t know how he feels about any of what Leif’s just confessed to him; the idea that Leif _could_ like him like that hadn’t even entered his head until Lily’s words had fully processed in his head. What he does know is that he wants Leif to stop looking so haunted and heavy, he wants to take him in his arms and make sure he never feels like this again; and, yeah, Tobin, maybe that’s not the straightest thought ever, but your best friend is crying and it’s kind of your fault, so maybe that thought shouldn’t be a priority right now.

“I never wanted to fall in love with you. I’ve been telling myself I’m not for… for _years_ , but,” A wet, sad, gross scoff interrupts his sentence. “Look at me.” 

And _wow_. There was the L-word, hitting him in the chest like a ton of bricks. Before he found himself sitting on these steps, Tobin had never thought about their friendship being anything more; sure, there were times when Leif would get back from a jog and Tobin would appreciate the way his t-shirt clung to his skin and his sweat-soaked hair draped over his forehead, but that didn’t _mean_ anything, it just means he can appreciate when another dude is handsome and his boy _is handsome_. And maybe there were times that he would listen to Leif talk about bird calls and the differences between their songs (because the songs are fascinating, bro, _shove off_ ), and think about how there was nowhere else he would rather be. And maybe Leif had seen him at rock bottom, when he was learning who he was and who he wanted to be, and maybe Leif is the only person who knows him for who he actually is and not the front he puts up to protect himself. And _huh_. _Maybe_ Tobin’s feelings weren’t so much different from Leif’s, just more unexplored.

“Uh, anyways,” Leif rubs a hand at his eye, getting rid of the tears that have collected as he sniffles. “I shouldn’t have roped you into this for some fucked up wish fulfillment or, huh,” His voice breaks, making him feel like a teenager again. “Just to pretend like there was a world where you would like me like that, but I - it was fucked up. I should never have asked you to come here with me, dude, I’m sorry.”

Tobin doesn’t really know what he wants to say. He thinks he wants to gush about every dot that’s just connected in his head, every loving warmth that has ever washed over his body as he’s listened to Leif talk about the things he's passionate about, every time he’s goofed off with him and thought ‘hey, I could do this for the rest of my life’, but none of that will come out of his mouth, resting heavy in his chest and refusing to come any further. And _god,_ Leif looks so sad in the silence, he’d give anything to make him laugh now.

“Um, I’m gonna… go back inside. I, uh - I understand if you don’t want to, but I should… I should be there for the rest of the reception. God knows his precious reputation can’t take it if his brother misses half of his reception, right? Like anyone would notice.” 

He stands up while he’s talking, finishing with a deep breath to steel himself both for whether or not Tobin goes back in with him and for facing the guests and family inside again.

“Wait,” Tobin stands now, too, and Leif looks him in the eyes for the first time since he’d come through the big glass doors. “Leif, I -” The words are still struggling, battling their way up through his chest, but Leif’s eyes are so expectant, begging for kind words (he’d even accept a bland ‘it’s okay, dude’, he’s really not picky right now) that it brings strength and conviction to Tobin. “I desperately wanna tell you that I’ve been in love with you for years and you’re not alone and like we’re meant to be or whatever, but that’s, uh, that’s not the truth and you deserve the truth right now, especially after everything you just said right now, that was - I mean, that was probably the most honest and frank you’ve ever been with me, dude.”

He immediately wishes he was better with words because Leif’s eyes have fallen again, disappointment, sorrow, and embarrassment flooding his body language.

“The truth is just that I’d never thought about it. Your friendship meant the world to me and that’s what I left it at, no questions asked. I guess - God, I guess what I’m saying is just that I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel, bro, because before approximately five minutes ago it had never occurred to me that our relationship or our bond or whatever _could be_ anything more than what it is.” 

“Um…” Leif still looks so irreparably sad, but there’s a hint of relief in there. “Thanks for the nicest rejection ever, but -”

“Wait, I’m not done, cause I’m not - it’s not a rejection.”

“What?”

“Like I said, I don’t know how I feel. But, in the past five minutes that I’ve been making myself think about it, all signs have been leaning pretty heavily towards ‘you’re the most important person in my life’ and, y’know, I think that’s gotta be good for something, right? And adding to that, you weren’t the only one that that kiss confused, cause I felt some... things that I was not expecting there. So, uh… I guess what I’m saying is maybe we should try this out, for real.” 

“For real? You’re not like pulling a fucked up elaborate prank on me right now?”

“Dude, no, I’m not the literal worst person ever. I just - I wanna see if this can work. And if it doesn’t, then, I’m sorry, that’ll suck, but I think we’ve been through enough together that we can come out of it on the other side without ruining our friendship and… I think, more than anything else, it’s worth the risk.” 

“I - Tobes.” He can see the wheels turning in Leif’s head, processing and thinking and working way too hard to understand what Tobin thinks is pretty simple now; he likes him, he trusts him, and most importantly, he _wants_ to at least try this. “I’d like that. A lot.”

“Cool.” He grins and he knows he probably looks like an idiot, but right now? He really doesn’t care at all. “Can I kiss you? Like, for real this time?” 

As soon as he’s registered Leif’s smile and nod, he’s leaning forward and connecting their lips. Objectively, the kiss is much the same as the one in the reception hall, but the emotions flowing through the both of them are much different. For one, Tobin’s spite is replaced with overflowing affection and Leif’s panic has vanished almost completely, allowing him to actually _experience_ the kiss and the warmth that Tobin provides through his entire body, flowing from the flush in his cheeks to the tips of his toes. Leif doesn’t quite know what to do with his hands, letting them hang awkwardly by his sides, before moving them up to rest against Tobin’s chest, in contrast to Tobin’s own hands that have opted to rest on Leif’s hips, conveniently pulling him closer in the process.

“We should go back inside,” Leif’s voice is breathy when he pulls away, forehead resting gently against Tobin’s, everything in his body language saying ‘I would literally rather lick the concrete beneath our feet than step away from you right now’. 

“Or, _hear me out_ , we could go back to your brother’s house and do a _lot_ more of this. We’ve got a lot of lost time to catch up on, y’know?”

“As much as I love that idea, and I love that idea quite a bit, _believe me,_ I think I owe you a better dance.” 

“I think I can live with that.” 

Leif carefully takes Tobin’s hand in his own, blue eyes meeting brown ones, a small smile exchanged between affectionate faces. With a small nod, he interlaces their fingers, squeezing softly before moving towards the glass doors behind them, back towards the festivities and noise that occupy the building; they leave their moment of peace and understanding behind them, fingers intertwined, walking towards the chaos they can hear from the lobby. 

“Well, so much for a missed dance,” Tobin gestures his head towards the doors to the reception hall where the Cupid Shuffle is now playing.

“We’ll get there.” Leif doesn’t hide the small smile on his face as he looks down at Tobin, tugging his hand forward and dragging him back into the reception hall, where they immediately fill into the line formations of people dancing, joining in effortlessly, only glancing away from each other when absolutely necessary in order to not wipe out on the dance floor. 

The song ends and Leif’s arm slings around Tobin, pressing a kiss to his temple, unable to repress the smile that comes up. “I’m gonna get a drink, do you want something?” 

“Something sweet?”

As Leif approaches the bar and orders, sitting down to wait, his sister slides into the stool next to him, elbowing him gently after ordering a drink for herself.

“So…”

“So?”

“Tobin spilled the beans to me. About the whole pretending thing. But, uh, that,” She gestures towards the dance floor, referring to the fact that they’ve been all over each other since they came back into the reception hall. “Didn’t really look fake to me, Lucky.” 

“That's cause it, uh,” The bartender sets the two drinks down in front of him and he nods thanks. “It wasn’t fake.”

“ _Dude,”_ She hits him on the arm, grin on her face. “Congratulations. Seriously, you deserve this.” Leif starts to interject, probably to deject and say he doesn’t, but she doesn’t let him. “ _No_. You really do. And Tobe deserves you, no question. Don’t be so hard on yourself, both of you deserve to be happy. And watching you guys out there? That’s the happiest I think I’ve seen either of you since _high school_. Savor that.” 

“Thanks, Lil.” The soft smile on his face is genuine, taking a small sip of his own drink. “I don’t think I’ve said this nearly recently enough, but I’m really glad you’re my sister. You... make it worth it to be a Donnelly, I think.”

“That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” The bartender sets her drink down in front of them and she immediately takes a small sip before continuing. “And you’re right, you’ve not said it nearly recently enough. Maybe stop dropping off the face of the Earth and keep me updated on what's going on every now and then. I don't care if you keep everyone else in the loop, but I actually care about what and _how_ you're doing.”

“I’ll try,” He’s still smiling (he doesn’t really know if he knows how to stop right now), but he looks up when the song switches to a slower one. “I’ve gotta do something, I’ll see you before I leave?”

She smiles and nods, patting his arm and wishing him luck. 

He grabs both drinks from in front of him, taking them over to the table where Tobin’s now sitting down, setting them down in front of his empty seat.

“I believe I owe someone a real dance?” 

“I thought you’d never ask.” 

Leif sticks his hand out, exaggerated and fairy tale-esque, a smile worthy of a Disney prince on his face. Tobin takes it happily, letting Leif lead him back onto the dance floor with ease, falling naturally into each other’s rhythm. 

_Yours was the first face that I saw_ _  
__I think I was blind before I met you_ _  
__And I don't know where I am, I don't know where I've been_ _  
__But I know where I want to go_

 _And so I'd thought I'd let you know_ _  
__Yeah, these things take forever, I especially am slow_  
 _But I realized that I need you_  
 _And I wondered if I could come home_


End file.
